


Falling in the Flames

by VideoChild22



Category: The Young and the Restless
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Drama, F/F, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-10-01 12:05:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17243909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VideoChild22/pseuds/VideoChild22
Summary: Sharon wants Mariah and Tessa to break up and she'll stop at nothing to separate these two lovers. When an old flame returns to Genoa City and past transgressions are brought to the surface; will Tessa and Mariah withstand the ghosts of Mariah's past, or will their love be caught in the crossfires?





	1. Still the One That Holds Me

**Author's Note:**

> Just in case it needs some clarifying, Tyler was a character engaged to Mariah before she was even shown on-sceeen. It's pretty difficult to find any footage of their past episodes together online (I couldn't find any) but Wikipedia gives a fairly detailed recap of their relationship so the use of their history comes from there...Thank you!

Since the kidnapping in the woods happened, Mariah and Tessa have been working around the clock to fix their relationship with great results. Before, Tessa had tried to get Mariah to open up about how she was feeling and what can be done to repair broken trust, but she had only been given the cold shoulder. Now that Mariah realized how desperately she needed Tessa in her life and how deeply their love ran after all of this she was sure that even if it would take some work, the two of them would be stronger than anything else life could throw at them.

“Do you want me to order your usual?” Mariah shed her coat before pulling a chair out from underneath the table at Crimson Lights.

“Yes, thank you,” Tessa sat on the chair and looked up at Mariah, “I think I’m gonna go to the restroom while you order…I know Sharon agreed to be civil, but I’d still feel kind of awkward if she came around without you being here.” She glanced over to the open door of Sharon’s office.

Mariah nodded and kissed the top of her head before walking over to the counter to order their coffee.

Inside the office Sharon could hear her daughter and Tessa walk into the shop. She quietly grunted to herself in frustration. Her daughter wasn’t the issue, it was her girlfriend that caused Sharon’s blood to boil. The mere thought that they were still a couple after everything Tessa did angered her and then to see them practically everyday waltz into HER coffee shop with such audacity. Her heroic and confident daughter always walks in bolstering about how she’ll protect Tessa from her vicious mother, as if Sharon was about to walk over to their table and throw a cup of scalding decaf over her.

Sharon had only agreed to be civil around the woman for her daughter’s sake but even at that she wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep up this charade. She assumed Mariah only insisted to fight for this woman because Tessa was the first person to shower her with constant affections. Probably all just an act. But when Sharon realized how deeply Mariah would go to protect the woman, even if it meant feuding with her own mother, she came to a darker conclusion. Images filled in her head of a future where Mariah marries her, the two having a life together, believing she had finally found her true love with Tessa. It would all be part of one long con and Tessa would inevitably break her heart and leave her shattered after all the time they would have committed to each other. But not before Tessa bleeds her dry of everything Mariah has and is. Sharon saw the damage Tessa could do to a person’s heart, after all Noah moved half-way across the world to London after they broke up.

No, Sharon couldn’t let Mariah keep travelling on this path to eventual devastation. It was her job as a mother after all to protect her daughter, especially since she feels the guilt everyday of not even knowing she had existed until a few years ago. Mariah had been through so much and had been wronged by so many people and while her daughter had made her own mistakes along the way out of greed, the mistake she was making now out of love would lead to her downfall. It was then, as Sharon recalled all the hurdles Mariah had to endure throughout her life that she found a solution to the current problem. She knew it would hurt her daughter, it would hurt like hell but, it was a lesser pain than one she would endure if she stayed with Tessa.

Although she was sure Tessa’s main motivation was to scam her daughter, she also figured the only reason the woman was clinging to Mariah was because she was the only person left in town, if not the only person left on this planet, to show her compassion and protection. Mariah wasn’t rich after all, but that didn’t matter to Tessa. Sharon supposed it wasn't the first time she had tried to get easy money. So, Sharon figured if Tessa no longer felt loved or protected, she would beat it and go scam on someone else considering Mariah was the last thing she had in this town. So far Sharon had failed at getting Mariah to break up with her but, what if she could get Tessa to be the one to leave?

****

Tyler Michaelson had left Genoa City four years ago. His broken engagement to Abby Newman lead him to cut ties to Jabot, the Abbotts, the Newmans…everyone. Tyler wanted nothing to do with the place or anyone else in it. All he wanted was to continue his life away from all the madness those people thrive in.

Unfortunately for him though it hasn’t been easy to keep going as if the past never happened. When he came back to his hometown of Portland, he hadn’t expected for his old boss to ensure he would never be hired to do business in the city again. He had managed to fill in any CEO and hire up in the marketing world on the time Tyler and his “crazy girlfriend”, Mariah Copeland, had stolen money from him and then how the woman tried to convince him not to press charges while in-between the sheets.

Tyler had met Mariah in Portland many years ago and instantly fell in love with her, the two were engaged to marry. They had an intense and fierce relationship. Mariah was a bit of a wild child at heart, but Tyler always knew there was many layers to the woman. She had a terrible childhood, grew up in a cult, and was always made to defend herself. Because of this, sometimes the darker sides of her would make themselves present. She let greed control her when she stole money from Tyler’s very wealthy boss, but the man assumed it was Tyler and threatened to report it. She tried to cover for her mistakes but ultimately it failed and even though Tyler loved her deeply, he couldn’t live with the sting of the betrayal, so he ended things with the woman and moved to Genoa City to start a new life.

That was many years ago and now that it was over the presence of Mariah continued to impact his life. Tyler had tried for a couple of years to continue doing graphic design but with no opportunities coming and bills to pay he had no choice but to abandon his passion and take up odd jobs to survive. While he was a good man at heart, he was frustrated. Everyday he wondered what his life would be like if he had married Abby; he would live in Genoa City, have a job, maybe even a family. But that dream was shot down after Mariah tore them apart.

Not long after he came to Genoa City, she popped up there too. Apparently, she had been hired by Victor Newman to impersonate a local girl that had died in a car accident years prior. After they were back in each other's orbits, she had stalked him, broke into him and Abby’s hotel room to make it look like he had cheated on the Newman woman, and then convinced him to help her get out of prison when she was expedited back to Portland. She had sincerely apologized once it was all over, but the damage had already been done and while Tyler was never one to harbor hatred, he couldn’t help but place some blame on her for his current situation. He had no interest in seeing her again or even knowing what she was doing these days.

That is until one day he received a phone call from a blocked number on his cellphone, and while he was hesitant to answer, he did anyways.

“Is this Tyler Michaelson?” The voice on the phone was a woman’s, it sounded familiar, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint who it belonged to.

“Yes…who are you and what do you want?”, making the suspicion in his tone clear.

“You don’t need to know that. I’d like to offer you a job of sorts if you’re interested,” the caller wanted to intrigue his attention.

“So then why are you calling on a blocked number? This isn’t a graphic design job, is it?”

“Not exactly. I know you’re not going to like it, but I can assure you it would come with a pretty paycheck,” the caller paused, she could hear Tyler taking a deep breath. “I need you to come to Genoa City and seduce Mariah Copela-” getting cut off.

“No! There’s no way in hell I’m going back there much less get back together with her!” Tyler could feel his blood boiling.

“I don’t mean to get back together. Look, Ms. Copeland is in quite a predicament. She’s dating a very dangerous person. I don’t expect you to get back together with her. In fact, I doubt she would ever reciprocate either. You don’t need to win her over, just create enough doubt in her relationship. All I need you to do is get close enough to break them apart. That’s it.”

“What’s the point of breaking them up? If she’s dating a criminal won’t they still find a way to get what they want anyways?” Tyler wasn’t sure what service he could provide in any of this.

“Trust me, vermin always scurry away when there’s nothing left for them to prey on. You don’t need to worry about anything else other than the simple instructions I give you. Simple.” The voice on the other side of the line sounded slightly irritated.

Tyler took a few seconds to wrap his head around the request. “No…no I can’t do that.”

The other voice paused, “I haven’t seen any marketing work done by you since 2014, not finding business in Portland I take it. There must be some stiff competition,” the caller sarcastically hinted that she knew more than she was leading on. “Oh, and then there was your busted engagement to Abby Newman. Wasn’t that because of Mariah? It seems like that woman really did a number on you.” An attempt to plant a seed was being made.

Tyler knew what the caller was getting at. Whoever they were they knew about the history between him and Mariah.

“Don’t look at it as an opportunity for revenge, really it would benefit Mariah more in the long run. But if it helps to think of it that way…after all she’s done to you. She tried to steal you from the love of your life. Considering Abby dumped you and is moved on I’d say she succeeded. Won’t it feel good to turn the tables on her once and for all? Especially when $100,000 dollars is involved?” The caller knew she had Tyler hooked on every word.

Tyler was in no way intent on ever getting back at Mariah, he just wanted to move on with his life. But he knew he’d be lying if he denied that a small part of him did want karma to return to his ex. He had been hurt, shouldn’t she feel pain too? As much as he wanted to refuse this person’s offer, just hang up the phone and go about his day, he knew it was too much money to turn down.

“Fine, you have a deal. But after that I’m done, I’m leaving that city and never going back. So, what now?” A part of him now regrets ever answering the phone.

“I already booked you a room at the GCAC, you’ll have instructions when you get there and the first of your payments waiting.”The anonymous caller hung up the phone.The plan was now set in motion.

Sharon breathed a sigh of relief knowing that soon enough Tessa Porter would be out of Mariah’s life soon enough.


	2. When Did It Get so Cold?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Mariah and Tessa run into Tyler, the past will be confronted face first. Mariah has been holding in old pain for years but will she be able to tell Tessa about what happened between her and the man she was once in love with?

Driving into town the first thing Tyler noticed was a giant billboard plastered on the highway, “ _Tune into GC Buzz TV Every day at 1pm CST hosted by Mariah Copeland_.” Mariah’s picture was blown up on the side of the advertisement, Tyler thought he’d nearly hit the car in front of him for staring at it. She was still just as beautiful as he remembered.

Once he got the GCAC he grabbed the key to his hotel room from the front desk and figured he would take his bags up before grabbing a drink from downstairs. He slid his room key into the lock and was pleasantly surprised to see a duffel bag on the bed. Tyler opened it to find $2,000 in cash and a note.

“Glad you made it here. I’ll text you the locations of where and when you’ll find our target starting tomorrow but for now be alert. If you see Mariah just pretend you’re an old friend catching up…she probably won’t be alone either.”

Sharon had no issue discreetly getting the money to Tyler’s room, at least not with Nikki and Victoria to help. Securing the money wasn’t difficult either, once she told them her plan they jumped at the opportunity to make sure Tessa left town for good. Even though they had made sure Tessa wasn’t the one who burnt down the stables after they interrogated her in the woods, she knew too much. She wouldn’t be able to say anything about JT’s murder without implicating herself. If the plan with Tyler worked, she would leave town and if not, a portion of the money they took back from Tessa’s blackmailing was the only thing being lost. It was an investment towards the future.

****

Tyler walked down the steps and was about to go into the dining area when a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks. Sheltering behind the corner of the wall he was able to see her.

Mariah sat at a table, laughing and smiling. “ _She looks happy_ ”, he thought to himself. His chest tightening though when he noticed Mariah put her hand on the table and reach out for another hand across from her but at the angle he was standing at he couldn’t see who the mystery person was. He could only conclude it was the person his new employer wanted Mariah to be separated from. But looking at the way Mariah glanced across the table with admiring eyes and a soft smile there was nothing but love in her expression. “ _Mariah doesn’t look like she’s in danger. How dangerous can they be and who is it?_ ” Figuring he had to get started on this job eventually he walked into the restaurant and headed for their table.

“Mariah! Thank God you’re the first person I run into here in town.” He now noticed the raven-haired woman sitting across from her.

“Um, Ty-Tyler. What are you doing here...? Mariah’s demeanor visibly changed.

Picking up on the difference, which Tessa was already experienced enough in reading her girlfriend to know was fear, grabbed the hand she left under the table. It was shaking slightly against hers.

“I’m just here doing some business,” Tyler turned his attention towards Tessa. “And who might this be?” He extended his hand outwards and introduced himself, “I’m Tyler Michaelson… an old friend of Mariah’s”.

“Tessa Porter,” she shook Tyler hand a bit apprehensively as she looked to Mariah who was staring down at the table.

“Tessa is my girlfriend,” Mariah quickly picked up her head to complete the introduction. “Sorry to interrupt but we actually need to get going, I’m not sure if you knew but I’m actually the host of GC Buzz so I have to get back to the studio to do the show.” Mariah was already collecting her purse with the bill in hand.

The show scheduled for today was already prerecorded but Tessa knew that Mariah was trying to get out of this situation, so she followed along.

Stumbling to fish a pen from the pocket of his blazer, Tyler grabbed a napkin off the table. “My apologies for interrupting your lunch. I’m going to be around for at least a few days though and I would really love to catch up soon,” he scribbled his number on the napkin. “Both of you…if you’re available give me a call. Maybe I can buy you ladies dinner,” Making sure to smile at both women. “It was really nice to see you Mariah and a pleasure meeting you Ms. Porter.”

Mariah took the napkin from his hand and shoved in her purse as she walked away with Tessa in hand.

****

The ride home was quiet but as soon as they got inside the safety of their apartment, Tessa needed to check in on her girl.

“Hey, what happened back there?” Tessa locked the door and sat on the couch next to Mariah.

The redhead shrugged her shoulders in response and averted eye contact.

Tessa placed gentle hands on her knee, “Mariah, I need to know…is this guy dangerous? Because if he is, I’ll protect you. He won’t come near you if I have anything to do with it. But I need to know what we’re dealing with here.”

A sniffle escaped from Mariah as she slowly looked up at Tessa. “Do you remember when I told you that before I came here, I was engaged?” Tessa was slowly figuring out what she was getting at as she nodded. “It’s Tyler. I was going to marry him.” Mariah had never mentioned the name to Tessa before figuring the letters would never have use escaping her lips again.

“Oh, I had no idea,” Tessa moved her hand to rub Mariah’s back in soothing circles, “Is that why you were scared? Did you think that I would be upset?” Tessa was still lost though as to what Mariah was afraid of.

“No. That was such a long time ago and I know you’re not thinking it but trust me I’m only in love with one person,” Mariah was now looking up at Tessa, “It has nothing to do with the present but, how it ended...”

Still making sure to approach this delicately Tessa kept going, “You don’t have to answer this if you don’t want to but, did you call it off or did he?”

“It was all him,” Mariah paused to take a deep breath “he ended the engagement because of what I did,” she knew at this point she would need to tell Tessa the whole truth.

“Mariah whatever it is its okay to tell me. I’m not going to judge you or think any differently of you. I love you and you know I’m no stranger to screwing up either,” both girls chuckled “you stayed by my side even when I didn’t deserve it. So please, let me do the same for you.” Tessa looked at her with gentle eyes.

Mariah hadn’t told Tessa about her past not because she thought she would be judged but just because the timing had never been right. The two of them were only exclusively friends when Tessa came to town for a short time before Mariah developed feelings for her. Then after the journal incident, Tessa leaving town, and most recently the blackmailing and kidnap, the time was just never right to make things about herself.

But now here they were, and Mariah knew it was time to tell Tessa everything and even though she knew Tessa wouldn’t criticize her it was her that had yet to completely forgive herself.

So Mariah told her everything. How she stole money from Tyler’s boss and then slept with him to protect her fiancée, how she came to town and stalked him while pretending to be Cassie, how desperately she tried to get him to leave Abby and take her back, then how Abby got the police involved and she was sent back to Portland. Then finally how Tyler helped her by being the messenger between her and Sharon so she could get out of prison. But, because Tyler “came to her rescue” Abby called off the engagement she had with him so Tyler left town and hadn’t come back till now.

At this point Mariah was crying, she was sobbing heavily and her body was shaking. Just recalling the past that she had tried so hard to tuck away had eaten at her and now it was all brought to the surface. Also, the fact that Tessa hadn’t said a word yet was frightening her.

Tessa meanwhile was trying to process everything she’d just been told but as soon as she heard Mariah crying she snapped out of it. Angling herself on the couch, she turned and wrapped her arms around the woman and brought her in for an embrace.

“It’s okay. Everything’s okay,” Tessa spoke softly to Mariah “I love you.”

Speaking up from the damp spot she had made on Tessa’s shoulder Mariah rebutted, “Everyone in this damn town wants to judge you and call you evil. But I’m the terrible one here, they have no idea who I am. Pretending to be my dead sister was still the worst thing I’ve done but this isn’t far behind either.”

Tessa knew exactly what Mariah was doing. She was beating herself up inside and Tessa knew how cruel her own thoughts could be. She pulled Mariah away just so that she could look at her directly. “No stop that. You made a mistake yes, but that was such a long time ago. You aren’t that person anymore and you shouldn’t have to carry that weight with you the rest of your life.” Tessa comforted Mariah as her crying was slowing down. “You have a kind, gentle, caring, and selfless heart. You’re the most incredible person I know and if you aren’t deserving of second chances then the rest of us are screwed.”

Tessa rushed her lips to Mariah’s remembering how much the contact helped her calm down the night in the woods. In fact, this scene now was similar in several ways to that night except it was Mariah now that needed comfort. Tessa was going to give it to her.

The pair ended the night in each other’s arms as Tessa held on to Mariah as she slept. Both of them have made mistakes in the past but that didn’t mean that their hearts were any less capable of righteousness nor did it make their love for the other any less genuine. No matter what, they would have each other, the rest of the world and whoever believed that they had an opinion or claim on their hearts didn’t matter. They would face Tyler or anything else together.


	3. Flicker and Sway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Tyler conveniently shows up to Crimson Lights at the same time Mariah is there, will she be ready to confront the past and move forward? Meanwhile Tessa finds a job opportunity out of town but is in for an unexpected turn of events when she gets there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is definitely the last chapter of build-up. The last half of this work has no chill left and I'm so excited to tie everything together. Thanks in advance!

 Tessa had left to go job hunting, Mariah figured she would kill some time before she needed to go into the studio. Because her mother had known about her history with Tyler, she had also hoped she would be able to give her some much needed advice for how to avoid him while he was in town. So, she went to Crimson Lights.

“Sharon. Am I glad to see you here.” Mariah shed her coat as she rushed to the counter.

“I work here,” she teased her daughter, “you look frazzled, is everything okay? Troubles at home again?”

Mariah picked up on the quip but was too preoccupied with her current situation to take it seriously. “Um, I’m not sure if you were aware of this but Tyler Michaelson is back in town…I ran into him when I was with Tessa at the GCAC.”

“Ex fiancée Tyler? As in the guy you almost married, Tyler?” Sharon acted surprised at the revelation.

“Yes, painfully aware of that. Thank you,” Mariah rolled her eyes, “how am I supposed to avoid him, this isn’t the biggest town after all?”

“He’s probably here on business, you probably won’t even see him again,” Sharon poured a cup of coffee for Mariah. “Why avoid him though? I thought you two left things on decent terms, wouldn’t it be nice to talk and see how much both of you have changed over the years?”

“Sure I guess but he probably hates me. How could he not after everything we- I did?” Mariah gulped down her coffee stressfully.

“You’re thinking too much into this. People can forgive, Mariah, and from what I know of him Tyler is a good man. If he didn’t flee in terror after he saw you yesterday you have nothing to worry about.” Sharon tried reassuring her daughter.

“Yeah you’re probably right. I’m just not sure what I’d even say or how I would say it.” Mariah looked down at the counter.

Sharon pulled her phone from her back pocket and pretended she was getting a call, “I have to take this, wait here and I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Sharon went into her office, making sure to close the door and lock it. She pulled out the burner phone she had hidden in the drawer to send Tyler a text. “Come to Crimson Lights, Mariah is there and she’s alone. Be there in 15 or no payment.”

Sharon quietly hid the phone away again and went back out to keep her daughter preoccupied.

Fifteen minutes later, exactly as Sharon requested him to, Tyler walked through the doors of the coffee shop and went to the counter noticing the back of fiery red hair standing beside it.

“You know, you never used to stand out this much with brown hair.” Tyler leaned across from Mariah.

Mariah stumbled with her words, “Tyler…hi,” she managed to awkwardly blurt out. “

Good morning Tyler, Mariah told me you were in town. I was wondering how long it would take you to stop by and try some of Genoa City’s best dark roast.” Sharon tried to break the ice between the two of them.

Even though Tyler hadn’t talked to Sharon in several years he thought her voice sounded strangely familiar. However he couldn’t quite pinpoint from where.

“Good morning, Ms. Newman, I guess I’ll have to try a large dark roast then,” Tyler then turned his attention back to Mariah, “do you have a few minutes? I would really like to talk to you. See how things have been,” offering a reassuring smile.

Mariah was ready to decline the request and walk straight out of the shop before she glanced over at Sharon. Her mother’s words reminding her that she shouldn’t be afraid to talk to him or try to avoid the situation. After all, everything that happened between them felt like a lifetime ago. She knew she was happy now, the happiest she’d ever been because of Tessa so surely Tyler must assume she’s in a better place than when she was with him. So Mariah nodded and walked with Tyler to the back of the coffee shop to her and Tessa’s usual table, the one she felt most safe at since it was away from the crowd inside.

Sensing Mariah’s uneasiness Tyler started the conversation. “Look, I know me coming to town and trying to talking to you must seem… awkward. I’m not pretending the past didn’t happen but I promise, I’m not here to intimidate you or scare you.”

Mariah felt a bit more comfortable as she brought herself to make brief eye contact with the man across from her. “No I know you’re not here on some secret revenge scheme,” Mariah chuckled at her own unaware joke, “But you’re right, it is awkward. Things are so different now, I mean I have a great job, a real family-” pausing as she contemplated how to talk to her ex about her love life, “and I’m in love with someone totally incredible.”

“The woman from yesterday?” Tyler pressed on, “Tessa Porter right?”

Mariah nodded as she tried to approach the subject carefully. “Yeah um, I don’t know how to say this any other way so I’ll just say it but Tyler…I think she’s the one. I’m not telling you this to prove any points, I mean I thought you were it too one time, but because I understand now what it means to love someone more than yourself,” she took a moment to shift in her chair. “I’m not the same person I was when you left. I did a lot of work by myself to be a better person but Tessa helped. With her I finally let myself be vulnerable and see the parts of me that I didn’t show anyone else.”

Finally she allowed herself to make eye contact with the man, “Something I didn’t do with you. Tyler, again, I’m sorry for everything.”

Tyler could tell she was being genuine. In fact, he doesn’t think he’s ever seen Mariah be as sincere with her words as she’s ever been right now.

“How about this, since you’re not the old Mariah anymore and I’m sure I’m not the same Tyler anymore, why don’t we start over?” He extended his hand out towards Mariah, “Hi, I’m Tyler Michaelson nice to meet you.”

The two spent what must have been an hour or more talking. They laughed, Mariah talked about her life, Tyler left out most of the details from his, but most importantly it felt like old friends catching up. At least to Mariah anyways who was completely oblivious as to why he was truly in town.

They were interrupted when Tyler’s phone vibrated in his back pocket. Another text from the mysterious blocked number. “Time’s up, tell Mariah you have to go.”

Having no idea how this person could know how long he’d been here but not wanting to challenge them he complied. He said his goodbyes to Mariah and left the coffee shop. It wasn’t until he got back to his hotel room that he noticed he received another text from the number.

“You have dinner reservations at Paisanos tonight at 6. I’ll call you with instructions.”

Meanwhile, after Tyler had left, Mariah went back over to the counter to thank Sharon for the advice and bid her farewell before leaving for work.

“Oh Mariah thank gosh you’re still here! Remember when I did that thing and made dinner reservations for Rey and Mia when I was trying to be nice?” Sharon exclaimed as her daughter walked up.

“Yeah, what about it?” Mariah asked. “I thought I had cancelled this one I set up a couple of weeks ago, Rey had mentioned it was the day he was planning to take off of work so I went ahead and made reservations at Paisanos tonight at 6:30, but I guess the message never went through and now that it’s today they won’t refund the reservation fee. Do you and Tessa want to use it? I wouldn’t want it to go to waste.” Sharon offered.

“Oh my god that place has the best Italian food in town, we’ve been wanting to go there for weeks! Yeah thanks, Tessa is gonna be thrilled,” Mariah was hugging her mother. “Thank you…for doing your best to be civil with her. I really do appreciate it.” Mariah thanked her mother again before leaving Crimson Lights.

She had made amends with Tyler and now she was going to her amazing job before meeting the love of her life for dinner. She thought it was the perfect day.

As soon as she was sure her daughter had left, Sharon also collected her belongings.

“Lizzie I have some caseloads I have to take care of over at the station. Don’t expect me back for the rest of the afternoon.” Sharon told the barista and went on her way.

****

Mariah: “Sharon got us dinner reservations at Paisanos tonight at 6:30. Can’t wait to see you ;)”

Tessa texted Mariah back and told her she would be there. First though she had to follow up on a job opportunity. She had gotten an email earlier that day about a hiring event happening at Stein Farms the same afternoon; the place was some family-owned farm up in Salem that did wedding ceremonies and they were looking to hire a new staff right on the spot. Tessa figured at the rate they were offering and the possibility of being hired immediately, the almost half hour commute wouldn’t be too difficult to manage.

She had tried looking for jobs in Genoa City but after Sharon sabotaged her opportunity at the GCAC no one else in town seemed to be calling back. At this point Tessa was sure she'd given out contact information to every employer in the state so she was pleasantly surprised she had finally gotten some information back. 

The email had said the event started at 4 so Tessa figured she would have over an hour to do an interview and hope to get hired before driving back to town for dinner. Parking her Fiat though, she noticed there were hardly any cars in the parking lot. She hoped that she would be one of the first people there, meaning she could get back to Mariah even sooner.

Tessa walked into the main office, noticing it was still pretty empty considering the event was supposed to get started in a few minutes. Figuring maybe everyone was in another part of the building she walked over to the main receptionist desk to double check she was in the right place. An older woman sat behind a desk typing at the computer.

“Excuse me, where is the hiring event supposed to be taking place at? The email says it’s at 4 but maybe I’m early?” Tessa asked the receptionist.

The older woman had a look of confusion on her face, “Hiring event? I’m sorry ma’am I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

“I thought they were looking to hire new staff here... I got an email saying it was today.” Tessa was equally just as confused as she pulled up the message on her phone to show it to the other woman.

The receptionist grabbed her phone, looking over it for several minutes before handing it back to the raven-haired woman. “This isn’t our email. I’m not sure where you got this from but we aren’t even looking for new staff at the moment. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.” The receptionist went back to her work on the computer.

Dazed, Tessa stumbled out the door and crossed the parking lot to get back in her car. _How did she get an email if it wasn’t from them?_

In reality, Sharon had created an e-mail account that looked legitimate enough to pass off as Stein Farms and used the information from Tessa’s employee file to send it to her address. After that she had made sure to leave town in enough time to beat Tessa to the venue, she had to park her car on the other side of the building to make sure she wouldn’t be seen by her. Sharon had made dinner reservations for two yes, but never with the intention that Tessa would be showing up to meet Mariah.


	4. Sparks to an Ember

Tessa was still about twenty minutes away from town. It was nearly 5:30 but because it was the middle of winter, the sun had already vanished from the horizon. The road connecting Genoa City and Salem was a vast expanse of woodland surroundings and was desolate tonight. Tessa had felt a bit uneasy driving through it earlier that day considering the last time she was in such an area she was made to believe that was the place she would die in at the hands of Victoria, Nikki, and Sharon.

Flipping the dials of the radio, she found a station that suited her musical preferences, she sang along to the tune to make the drive less daunting. Shortly afterwards she began to hear and feel vibration coming from the underside of the car. A few seconds later she noticed the tire light was flashing from her dashboard. _Shit._

Heart rate increasing as she turned on her hazard lights and pulled over to the side of the road. Carefully she treaded outside and walked around the vehicle until she found cause of the problem. The front tire on her passenger side was almost completely flat. She went back inside the car to grab her phone, using the flashlight app she checked inside her trunk for a spare which wasn’t present. _That was the spare_ , Tessa had remembered she had used it not too long ago and forgot to replace it.

Still doing her best to maintain composure, she reached for her phone once more and went in to dial a number. _It’s okay, I can just call Mariah_.

When she pushed the phone up to hear ear however, there was no sound on the other side. Looking to make sure she had pressed the call button she found that there were no signal bars. Sharon had known there would be no service in the area when she was planning this out.

Now panicking Tessa hurried back inside the car to try and figure out what to do. She tried convincing herself that she would be out of the woods in no time but she also understood the reality of the situation fully. She was once again in the woods, no way would her car make it to town, no phone signal to call for help, and with no other cars in sight (would it be safe to flag someone down anyways), she had no ideas as to how she would get out of this anytime soon.

****

**Back in Genoa City**

Tyler threw on his suit and jacket, finishing the outfit with a navy blue tie embellished with gold stitching. He would be leaving soon to go to the restaurant his anonymous employer made reservations for, surely to serve as another “accidental run-in” with Mariah.

When he accepted this job he wasn’t sure what to expect. He thought he would find the same Mariah he had always known, then what he was doing would be justified. But she wasn’t. She had a kinder heart now, and more importantly she had allowed herself to feel love and now she was convinced Tessa Porter, the person his employer wants Mariah away from, was the love of her life. Tyler knew he would be lying if he said he wasn’t doubting taking this job now.

Edging away from his own thoughts, he answered his phone when he heard it ring. He didn’t allow the voice on the other end before angrily interrogating them.

“Why am I here? You told me the person Mariah was with was dangerous and I haven’t seen any of that. Mariah is happy, what’s the point?”

The other voice was clearly taken aback by Tyler’s remark and could not hold back their anger either, “I told you not to question me all you’re supposed to do is shut up and do what you’re told! How about I make all the money you planned on getting disappear and then you can go back to Portland with nothing to wither away like you would have without me?”

Tyler was silent, although he knew he didn’t want to do this job anymore he needed the money desperately.

“That’s what I thought,” the other voice now was deescalating their tone. “Are you ready to listen?” Tyler agreed “Great. So you’ll be showing up to dinner half an hour before Mariah and her girlfriend have reservations. I arranged for your table to be right next to hers which will be convenient for you since her date won’t be joining you two this evening.”

Tyler was frightened to know why that may be but knew not to question why. “Okay, and then what?”

“That should give you a bit of time before our naïve girl gets concerned and goes running after her plus one. Buy her a drink, sit down and converse with her. Then when the time is right I want you to make a move. I need you to kiss her tonight Tyler.” The caller sounded so callous.

Rage boiled up inside Tyler again, he was nearing his breaking point. “What is that going to do, don’t you understand she doesn’t want me!? It’s clear to see that she’s in love with the woman so you’re just wasting your time.” He could hear the woman on the other end sigh, this time though being able to maintain their frustration.

“The point isn’t to have her swoon, run away with you, and elope after one kiss. I know she’s in love with Tessa Porter which is exactly why a kiss would break them apart. Even if she didn’t initiate it, Mariah would feel absolutely guilty about it happening. Do you honestly think if she told Tessa that she kissed her ex-fiancée, since I doubt she would be able to hide it from her, that she wouldn’t think it was a big deal? Besides, stolen kisses are how they got together in the first place…you can ask your old friend Noah about that.”

Tyler was both dumbstruck, angered, and disgusted by himself at the same time. “This is it, this is the last thing I’m doing. Then I expect my money when I get back and you’re never hearing from me again. Got it?”

“Deal, I’ll call you afterwards to make sure you got the job done.” Then the call ended.

****

Mariah walked into the restaurant and she checked her phone to make sure Tessa hadn’t called. She knew she would most likely be a bit late, she was always the slower driver of the two.

“Reservations for Newman please,” she checked in with the main hostess and followed her to the table. After she sat down she pulled out her phone once again but found zero notifications. _Relax, she’s just driving. She would call you if something was wrong._ She willed herself to remain collected.

“Mariah, what are you stalking me?” Tyler brushed Mariah’s shoulder, startling her. “Wait, no that’s not what I meant.” Tyler realized his joke was in bad taste.

“Ha, no good one. I’m just waiting for Tessa, what are you doing here…and conveniently right next to our table,” Mariah retorted.

“I was supposed to be meeting a client here, the one who brought me back to this town in the first place, but they haven’t showed up. I think I got stood up.” Tyler joked, coming up with the lie on the spot.

“Oh. Well I’m still waiting too, if you want to sit over here before Tessa shows up,” Mariah pointed to the empty chair across from her.

****

**Back in the Woods**

It was 6:30, Tessa was sitting in the car pondering on what Mariah must be thinking as she struggled to find a way out of the woods. She constantly looked at her phone and hoped she would have a signal but every time she was left disappointed. She was scared yes, but she willed herself to stay calm.

Figuring she had no other choice she took the keys from the ignition, got out of the car and proceeded to walk in front of it, using the vehicle to help her trace her steps she walked into the night.

Looking at her phone the whole time and after what felt like hours, but was really only twenty minutes, Tessa stopped in her tracks. The car was barely visible but finally she found a spot where she could get service. Immediately she dialed Mariah’s number, she knew her girl would come for her.

*****

**Genoa City**

Mariah had a glass of wine as she grew more anxious as to where Tessa could be. Tyler had purchased it for her, but he hadn’t gotten anything for himself. The two tried to have small talk but Mariah’s mind was clearly on more pressing matters.

Tyler insisted Tessa would be arriving any moment and in the meantime he and Mariah should go outside but Mariah was ready to call the night off. She had grabbed her purse, expecting to leave after making sure Tyler got his Uber, since he said he had left his car back at the hotel.

“No it’s fine, go ahead and go I’ll be fine waiting,” Tyler told her, knowing what he was expected to do in the next moments.

“Okay thank you. I just really need to figure out where Tessa is at.” Mariah was now visibly nerve wrecked knowing what had happened last time Tessa hadn’t shown up to an outing. Tyler leaned in closer to Mariah, who was face to face across from him. He moved cautiously as to not startle her. He was just about to go in for the kiss that would end this horrible job when Mariah’s phone rang. Mariah had turned away from him too quickly to even notice what he had planned to do.

“Tessa oh my god where are you!?” She frantically answered. “I’m somewhere between GC and Salem. My car got a flat and I had no service so I had to walk outside to call you,” it was obvious Tessa had crying and she spoke between sniffles.

Wanting to find go to her as soon as possible Mariah gave precise instructions, “Get back inside your car and turn your lights on. I’ll be there soon.” Tessa hung up the phone and instantly Mariah was ready to fly to her if it meant getting there faster.

Tyler caught Mariah before she could run, he had heard the whole conversation and knowing Mariah had a glass of wine, he couldn’t let her drive. Mariah agreed to let Tyler help her, as she handed him the keys to her car. The two sped off into the night.

Making sure there wasn’t any police or other drivers on the road Tyler drove as fast as he could safely manage while Mariah kept a look out on the side of the road for a familiar blue Fiat.

“There pull over!” Mariah shouted when she saw the car parked ahead of them.

Tyler hadn’t even fully stopped the car before Mariah pushed the passenger door open and ran across the road to get to her girl. Tessa was still sniffling softly in the driver’s seat as Mariah opened the door and scoped her out to hold her in an embrace. Both girls were relieved to be back in each other’s arms safe and sound considering what had transpired last time they were in a situation like this.

Crossing the road Tyler hadn’t missed the scene in front of him, at this point he didn’t even care that he failed to do what had been asked of him tonight.

“So, you got a flat?” Tyler interrupted the women’s embrace as he rolled up his shirt sleeves to avoid dirtying them. Tessa pointed him to the tire in question. Examining it he noticed a small but deep hole on the bottom of the rubber. He knew exactly what it was from

“I’m no expert but unless you managed to hit a nail along the way this definitely looks like it was on purpose…like someone stabbed it with a screwdriver or something.” Now Tyler knew exactly what “she won’t be showing up for dinner” meant.

“Oh my god who would do that!?” Mariah turned to Tessa who she was still holding by the shoulders.

“I-I don’t know, I have no clue who would want to hurt me, I mean we worked everything out with-” Tessa stopped talking remembering Tyler was also present. “Like Tyler said, I probably just hit something.”

****

The three of them drove back to Genoa City, Tyler took the wheel as Mariah sat in the backseat holding Tessa. They had called to arrange Tessa’s car be picked up by a tow company.

Tyler pulled into the parking lot of his hotel. He got out of the car and waited for Mariah to step out from the back, so she could take helm of the driver’s seat.

“Thanks for helping tonight, I really appreciate it.” Mariah hugged Tyler, still fully grateful that Tessa was safe.

Seeing the way Mariah cared for Tessa, and the way the other woman trusted her so fully, caused something in Tyler to finally snap. That and the fact that whoever brought him to town surely slashed Tessa’s tire horrified him. He had heard from Mariah herself that she had changed as a person but tonight Tyler knew it. So, he knew he couldn’t stay in this town another day doing this job, he was done.

“It was really great getting to see you this week Mariah. I think I’m done here though, so I’ll be heading back to Portland tomorrow.”

 “What, but you just got here? I know your client didn’t show up tonight but isn’t there anyone else in town who wants to work with you?”

“No, that was it.” Tyler said as little as possible so he wouldn’t have to keep up the charade.

Mariah scrambled through her coat till she found a business card for GC Buzz buried deep within her pocket. “I was kind of looking for a graphic designer to make the shows promotional stuff. I mean have you seen our billboard on the interstate, yeesh?” Mariah joked. “If you want, when you get back to Portland just send me what you have. My email is on there…I would love to work with you.” Tyler thanked her for the opportunity.

The two hugged one last time and gave their goodbyes before Tyler walked away from his old flame. He stood at the door of the lobby and watched the car drive away into the night knowing he would still have to confront the person who brought him here in the first place.


End file.
